After defeating yet another boss and passing through the gates of the fifth level, the unlikely pair Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya and Asuna Yuuki are welcomed by a stunning vista of decaying ruins and enigmatic catacombs. This serene excursion is brief, though. Hostilities between the Dragon"s Knights Brigade and the Aincrad Liberation Squad—the two premier guilds intent on purging Sword Art Online—continue to mount, endangering the deeply tenuous cohesion of the frontline raiding party.
Kirito and Asuna must act swiftly, taking a risky bet and rallying a handful of comrades for a highly perilous undertaking. Consequently, Asuna and Misumi "Mito" Tozawa are compelled to reconcile their bond after the near‑catastrophe and that drove them apart once again on the first floor in this world.
